Dave Bracken has sent his letters as he promised at our last meeting. One is to parking control on the general issue of enforcement, especially around cycle facilities, and one to the planners, reiterating our wish to see adequate space in new developments for parking bikes and looking after the requirements of people arriving by foot, e.g. places to store prams/buggies. He also stressed the need to bear down on the amount of car parking provided. This arose out of our reservations with the plans for the neighbourhood theatre on Clissold Road, discussed last month.

Bike Week. We reviewed our plans, and thought about deadlines for publicity to be in place. Tim Evans suggested talking early to Marina Pirotta of Hackney Today. To recap, Trevor will look after the cyclists’ breakfast, Claire Tansley is offering to sort out a tour of the borough, and Crispin will seek sources of funding for another round of Project Modal Shift.

Out of the three options for the north-south route crossing of Balls Pond Road, we ended up favouring the Kingsland Green option.

We welcomed the proposal for a mini-roundabout at the east-west (Maurice Hope) route’s crossing of Southgate Road, and since this is on the borough boundary we will raise the issue with our comrades in the Islington Cyclists’ Rights Action Group.

Re: pavement cycling furore. We would like to commend Cycling Officer Liam Mulrooney for his excellent and positive report to committee on pavement cycling. Unfortunately, there will be lots of work to be done yet before this issue cools down. Patrick said that he would go along to one of the consultative meetings to be held on the subject next week.

3. Local Transport Day survey

Crispin showed us the draft survey to be conducted next Saturday, 7th March, and recruited some of us to be canvassers. It will take place in Hackney Town Hall Square, and will ask how local people think the space in the Heart of Hackney should be used, e.g. for more car parking or not!

4. Financial report

Crispin has been in touch with our treasurer Matt Harrison. He says that we have a balance of £600 at the moment. He is still waiting for up-to-date receipts from the workshop, and the ticket revenues from the Burns Nite of last year have not yet been received! In order to claim our £400 grant from the LCC we have to sort these outstanding things out and present our accounts soon. A full financial report will be presented to the May meeting.

5. Hackney Show

We hear that Claire is booking our stall for the Hackney Show. We discussed the desirability of getting cycle parking provided at the show this year, and Trevor will make enquiries on this subject.

6. Book donations

Trevor passed on a suggestion from someone on the urbancyclist-uk mailing list that cycle groups should donate copies of John Forester’s Effective Cycling to their local libraries. Everyone agreed that this would be a good idea, and that the associated publicity for the group would be very positive. Patrick suggested also donating Cyclecraft by John Franklin, and he offered to match the donation himself as the London School of Cycling. He will run with this one.

7. Bridge over the River Lea (or Lee)

Patrick showed us the drawing for the wonderful foot and cycle bridge over the Lea (or Lee). This will provide a connection to the Sustrans London-Harwich mainline when it’s ready.

8. Cycle freight

Patrick updated us on his plans for bringing a cycle freight operation to Hackney. He is going ahead for funding from the Groundwork Trust and Tesco plc, whom he intends to be the main initial users of the service for home deliveries. The budget may be in the region of £60-70,000. Since the operation would need a base, this may provide an opportunity to advance the cycle centre idea.

Patrick also thinks that the operation could tender for some of Hackney Council’s internal mail delivery.